Improvement in fulling-mills



3 Sheets-Sheet I. R. EICKEMEYER.

FULLING-MILL.

zz Patented Feb. 22,1876.

N.PETER$, PHOTOL|TN( )GRAPHER, WASHINGTON D C SSheets-SheetZf R.EICKEMEYER.

FULLI'N'G-MILL. No.173,922. Patented- Feb. 22, 1876.

N-FETERS. PHOT0-L THOGRAPHER WASHING ON 0 C SSheetS -Sh eetS. R.EICKEMEYER;

'FULLING-MILL. No.173,922. Patented Feb. 22,1876

MPEI'ERS, FNOTO-LITHOGMPHER. WASHINGTON. I15.-

- UNITED STATES PATENT CFFIoE RUDOLF EIGKEMEYER, OFYONKERS, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENTJN FULLlNG-NllLLS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 173,922, dated February22, 1876; application filed 7 December 22, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RU oLF EIOKEMEYER, of Yonkers, in the county ofWestchcster and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Fulling-Mills and I do hereby declare that the followingspecification, taken in connection with the drawings furnished andforming a part of the same, is a clear, true, and complete descriptionof a fulling-mill containing the several features of my invention.

The objects sought by me through my improvements may be stated asfollows: A continuous changing of position of the fabricsundergoing thefulling operation with relation the bed, instead of operating,alternately, up-

on one-half of. the fabrics, as with the wellknown two-stock mill; toregulate the height from which the beater will be permitted to fall,inorder that it may be readily adjusted for operation on tough or tenderfabrics, or graduated for properly operating through the severalinitial, intermediate, and terminal stages of the fulling operation, andalso to regulate the speed of the driver so that it maybe made tocorrespond proportionately to the height from which the heater isdropped. For accomplishing these several objects my invention consistsin certain novel combinations ofmechauism, which are specified in detailat the close of this specification.

The several features of my said invention or any number of said featuresless than the whole may be employed to the exclusion of the remainder,with desirable and valuable results. i. j v v In the operation of allfl'llling-mills heretofore known to meithe fabricsin the fullingbed aresubjected to the alternate action oftwo heaters arranged side by side.

This mode of operation is not particularly objectionable when ordinarytextile fabrics are being fulled,'although one-half of the 'mass offabric in the bed acted upon sepaiubeater-mills', asheretoforeconstructed, in curred in one direction only, forming arectangular corner with the sides of the mill.

These square corners ofler a greater resistance to the upward movementof the fabrics from the bottom of the bed than the smooth centralsurface of the curvedbed, and, therefore, those portions of the mass offabrics which lie adjacent to said corners move less rapidly than thosein the center, necessitating frequent removals of the fabrics from thebed, for the purpose of readjustment therein.

To avoid these practical ditficulties I employ a single beater, (havinga breadth of face corresponding with thewidth of the bed,) incombination with a fulling-bed, which has a front interior surfacecurved in two directions-that is to say, it is not only curvedvertically, as heretofore, but it is also curved laterally, whereby noliability exists either for any of the articles being drawn out ofshape, or for aportion of them to drag at the corners, as in theordinary bed, and the arti clcs are continually changed in theirpositions withrelation to each other to the curved sur face of the bedand to the face of the beater." may be combined in one fulling-mill, oreither.

The heater in my improved mill is lifted in,

a different lllttllllefflOlll any heretofore known to me. So far as myknowledge extends, the lifting of heaters in fulling-mills hasheretofore been effected either by means of a revolv ing shaft withtappets, which engage with projecting endsof the beat'er-helve's, or bysegmental friction-pulleys, operating on a belt and terminal movementsof the beater correspond with the speed of theintermediate movement.

By reason of myimprovement in this connection, the speed of the movementof my heater is slow at the commencement of the lift,is rapidlyincreased, and is then gradually diminished up to the moment at which itis dropped. This is accomplished by a peculiar manner in which alifting-rod is operated through a crank, and is made to engage at itslowest point with the heater, and, after elevating it to its fullheight, is freely released therefrom. The lifting of the beatercommences immediately after the crank-pin passes its lowest position,and it therefore moves slowly, increasing it speed as the crankrevolves, until, as it approaches its highest position, the upward speedis gradually diminished until the heater is dropped.

.By this means 1 gain a smooth and easy lifting motion, practically freefrom sudden shocks and jars; and it is impossible to avoid these wearingand destructive influences upon the belts and operating mechanism offullin g-mills as heretofore constructed.

To vary the height from which the heater is to drop, I have made thecrank-pin adjustable on the face of the crank-plate, so that it may belocated at any desirable point between the crank-shaft and the peripheryof the crank wheel or plate; and toregulate the. resistance ofthe goodsto the beater, I have hinged the adjustable portion of the apron of thefullingbed to the bottom of the mill, and connected its upper end withan adjustable crank-arm. This latte'rfeature, in connection with anapron curved in one direction, is found in my prior Letters Patentbefore herein referred to.

As in my prior patent, I have provided for this single beater a pawl,which is hinged in suitable hearings on the frame of the mill, and

' being. mounted on the shaft, from which power is immediately derived.

To more particularly describe my invention, lkwill refer to thedrawings, which illustrate a fulling-mill embodying the several featuresof my invention in the best form at present known to me.

The three sheets of drawings, respectively numbered, contain as follows:

' Figures 1 and 2, on Sheets 1 and 2, respectively, represent side viewsof said fulling-mill with portions thereof removed. Fig. 3, Sheet 1,represents the same in top view with a portion of the beater removed.Fig. 4, Sheet 3,

represents an end view. Fig. 5, Sheet 3, represents a lateral verticalsection of the same,

showing the interior of the fulling-bed at the apron. detail, on alarger scale, portions of the mechanism whereby the heaters are liftedand dropped. Figs. 8v and 9, Sheet 2, represent modifications ofmechanism for performing a like service. Fig. 10, Sheet 3, representsthe crank-Wheel and plate in lateral section. Fig.

11 represents, in section, a crank-wheel with adjustable crank-pinbefore referred to herein.

The falling-mill shown has but one beater or fulling-stock, as at A,provided with a helve, b, hinged at c to standards, as heretofore. Bdenotes the falling-bed, .which. with two side walls, constitutes thereceptacle for the fabrics to be fulled. The beater is held in anelevated position when at. rest by means of the segmental rack a in thebeater, and the pawl a on the top of the frame, as shown in Fig. 2. Thefront end or apron of the fulling-bed is shown at 0, Figs. 1, 2, 3, and5. The curved contact-surface of the apron from top to bottom,'and fromside to side, is clearly illustrated.

It will be seen that the vertical side lines of thebed merge with thesurface-lines of the apron, and that no abrupt corners or edges existwith which the fabrics can possibly engage while being lifted in massand changed in position by theaction of the beaten. This apron is hingedat 0 to the bottom of the metal-lined bed, so as to present a smoothcontin-' uous surface at the joint. The hinge 0 occupies a straight lineextending across the fulling-bed, and the apron O is curved graduallyupward from that line, and each edge or corner is gradually concavedmore and more 1111-. til, at the apex, it.forms an arch, as shown inFig. 5. This gradual change in the shape of the bed and apron from astraight line to a circular arch, causes the fabrics to be continuallychanging their position with relation to each other, to thecontact-surfaces of the bed, and to the foot of the beater, whilepassing from the bottom of the bed upward to the under side of the arch,from which they fall to the'bottom of the bed, to be again exposed tothe blow of the beater.

At its upper end the hinged apron is connected by links to a shaftprovided with acrank, as at d, which is provided with a segmentalstop-plate, It, and set-screw 1, whereby it may be set atany desiredpoint, and locate the apron in an advanced or retired position,accordingto the degree of resistance which the mass of fabrics istooifer to the stroke of the beater.

In mills as heretofore constructed without the lateral curves and thearched top, and with beds curved upwardonly, the-articles move in asolid body without change of position with relation to each other,until, having arrived at the top, they fall forward tothe bottom of thebed.

It will be seen that this feature of my in- Figs. 6 and 7, Sheet 3,represent, in

vention has value in mills which do not require the adjustable or hingedbed or apron,

and I do not therefore limit this portion of my invention to the hingedbed, or to a fullin g-mill having but one beater.

The fulling-stock or beater A is raised and permitted to fall by meansof mechanism which I will. now describe in detail: D denotes thedriving-shaft, located near the bottom of the frame at its rear end, andmounted in suitable boxes. On this shaft is the cone driving pulley E,arranged to be driven in the direc tion indicated by the arrow thereon.(Shown in Fig. 4.) The crankwheel at F is keyed to the driving-shaft atone end, with its outer face parallel with the plane in which the beatermoves. Mounted on its outer face is a segmental crank-plate, F, pivotedto the wheel at one end by a bolt, as at F, and provided at its oppositeor curved end with gear-teeth, which engage with a worm-shaft, K,provided with squared ends, to receive a key or wrench. The crank-wheelhas a lateral curved slot in which a bolt, as at F, projecting from theplate F, is fitted. The crank-wheel, segmental plate F, and bolts F andF, are shown in Fig. 10 in detail.

In order to prevent the slipping of the plate on the Wheel while inoperation, I have constructed the bolts with suitable clampingnuts, andhave placed between them and the rear side of the crank-wheel, recessedand flat metal washers, with a cushion of rubber between them, so thatsuch wear as may occur at the coincident surfaces of plate and wheel maybe taken up, at the same time affording a means whereby sufficientpressure may be applied to the plate for holding it in its properposition while the mill is in motion, without interfering with its easyadjustment for regulatingthe lift of the beater. This segmental platecarries the crank-pin, as at G, to which the lower end of thelifting-rod H is attached. By turning-the worm-shaft K, the crank-pin Imay be located at any desired position between the periphery of thecrankwvheel and the driving-shaft, and so regulate the height to whichthe. beater may be elevated preparatory to its fall.

The upperend of the lifting-rod H is provided with an oscillating guide,H, which is mounted on trunnions supported by brackets projectingrearward from the'frame at its top.

crank-wheel by means of a screw, which is housed in a tapped hole in therear end of the crank-pin, and set-screws will preferably be employed ina manner well known, wherewith the crank-pin, after radial adjustment,may be rigidly secured in any desired position. This feature, however incombination with the single heater and the bed with the double curvedsurface, constitutes a valuable improvement.

The lifting-rod has an intermittent control over the beater by means ofa clamp, which is linked to the helve of the beater at g and operates asa clamp from the moment the lifting-rod commences its upper movementuntil the crank-pin passes its most elevated position, at which time itceases to operate. One form of clamp is shown at I, in several of thefigures, and also in detail in Figs. 6 and 7, while another form isshown in Figs. 8 and 9. This clamp, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, is to beprovided with two V-shaped interior friction-surfaces at g, located onopposite sidesand one above the ther, so that when the foot of thelifting-rod is carried by the crankwheel toward the beater, bothV-shaped friction-surfaces at g, clad as at g, with leather, rubber, orother suitable material, are made to engage with the opposite cornersand sides of the rod, and, acting therewith, raise the beater. Forgiving the clamp sufficient power to maintain the weight of the beater,I

have devised the clamplever e and the spring centei of the crank ordriving shatft, and. the

center of the oscillating guide H. The. upper end of the clamp-lever eis pivoted on a stud which projects rearward from the clamp,

as at h. The end of the stud is provided with a nut which bears upon andcompresses a rubber spring at f, mounted on said stud and arranged tobear againstthe clamp-lever 6. When the lifting-rod is at its lowestposition the clamp has no hold upon it, because the clamp-lever and rodare parallel, but, as the lower end of therod is carried inward towardthe beater, the upper end of the clamp-lever is also carried inward,which tilts the clamp. on the hinged connection with the link thatconnects the beater with the clamp, causing the friction-surfaces, whichare located one above and one below the axis, and on opposite sides ofthe lifting'rod, to firmly engage therewith, and thereby to lift thebeater. When the lifting-rod approaches its highest position, theclamp-lever e, and the rod, again become parallel with each other, andthere;

fore the clamp releases its hold on the rod and the beater falls. As thecrank-wheel continues its movement, carrying the liftingrod downward,the clamp is wholly freed therefrom, because from its position itscon-.- tact-surfaces are respectively moved away from the rod.

It will be seen that the clamp will engage with the rod at any height solong as the foot of the clamp-lever is within the straight portion ofits guide, but that as soon asit is raised, so that the roller fairlyoccupies the curved portion of the guide, the clamp has no power toengage with the rod. When the pawl a is thrown forward during theoperation of the mill it will first catch and hold the beater at theheight to which it has been raised by the next movement of thelifting-rod, and at the next revolution of the crank-shaft it will becarried still higher, and there held for the convenient removal offabrics from the bed. So, also, in operation, if the beater be held atany time by the goods at a given point above the lowest point, it willbe lifted from that height by the rod to a pointproportionately as hightherefrom as would be the case if the beater were lifted from its lowestposition.

In Figs. 8 and 9, the lifting-rod, instead of being smooth, aspreviously shown, has its opposite edges transversely serrated. It hasalso two longitudinal grooves, which are loosely occupied by screw-pinsin the clamp, as shown in Fig. 8 at i. The clamp, instead of havingfrictional .surfaces, is provided with serrated surfaces inverselycorresponding with the serrated surfaces on the lifting-rod, andtherefore the clamp positively engages with the rod instead offrictionally engaging therewith The serrated surfaces are of specialvalue in connection withbeaters of more than usual bulk or weight.

For practical operation, the crank-pin is brought quite near to thecenter of the crankshaft. The hinged apron is thrown bacli, the

' fabrics put into the bed, and the mill put in motion at its highestspeed. As the fulling operation progresses, the height of the lift is atintervals increased by moving the crankpin outward, and the apron isgradually moved toward the beater. The apron is thus kept in a positionwith relation to the beater which corresponds with thegradually-changing condition of the fabrics as the falling operationprogresses.

As before stated the falling-bed curved in two directions is of valuewithout the hinged feature, and is equally well adapted to mills wit-hmore than one heater; and it is equally true that the griping andlifting mechanism described is also useful in mills having more than onebeater, and also that in many cases it is not necessary to combine withsuch mechanism the feature whereby the height of the lift may be varied,I therefore do not limit some features of my invention to mills of anyin two directions, substantially as described,

whereby the fabrics maybe made 'to move regularly, and constantly changetheir position while being fulled.

2. The combination, with a single beater, of a fulling-bed, having frontinterior surfaces which are curved in two directions, substantially asdescribed, whereby the fabrics are not liable tobe torn or twisted whilebeing fulled.

3. The combination, with or more heaters, of a jointed fulling-bed,having front interior surfaces which are curved in two directions,substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a falling-bed, having its front interiorsurfaces curved in two directions, of one or more heaters provided withgraduated lifting mechanism, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with a jointed fullingbed, having its front interiorsurfaces curved.

in two directions, of one or more heaters and graduated liftingmechanism, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with a fulling-mill beater, of a reciprocatinglifting-rod and an automatically-operated clamp attached to the beater,substantially as described.

7. The combination, with the beater of a fulling-mill, of a clamp, alifting-rod, connect ed by means of a crank-pin to a crank-wheel,

and adjusting mechanism, substantially as de-

